Republic of the Philippines HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Quezon City, Metro Manila
TW ELFTH CONGRESS Second Regular Session
H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N N o . 690 ____________________________________________________________________________ Introduced by Reps. SATUR C. OCAMPO, LIZA L. MAZA, CRISPIN B. BELTRAN, REYNALDO S. UY, LYNNETTE A. PUNZALAN, NERISSA SOON-RUIZ M.D., TED FAILON ____________________________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH TO CONDUCT AN INQUIRY, IN AID OF LEGISLATION, INTO THE REPORTED IMPENDING MERGER OF TEN (10) PUBLIC HOSPITALS IN THE PROVINCE OF ISABELA WHICH WOULD REQUIRE THEIR OUTRIGHT CLOSURE TO THE DETRIMENT OF POOR RESIDENTS OF MORE THAN 264 BARRIOS LOCATED IN FAR-FLUNG AREAS OF THE PROVINCE W HEREAS the Philippine Constitution mandates that the State shall “protect and promote the right to health” (Art. II, Sec. 15) and adopt “an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development” which shall endeavor to make health services available to the people at affordable cost, especially for the underprivileged (Art. XIII, Sec. 11); W HEREAS small provincial hospitals in the countryside were established to provide basic medical services as well as immediate emergency treatment for the people who live in remote areas, an overwhelming number of whom are poor peasants and fisherfolk; W HEREAS development and modernization programs in health services should be primarily based on the primary and basic health needs of the people and not on the delivery of specialized health services since a bigger proportion of the population are in need of basic medical services as compared to patients in need of specialized treatment; W HEREAS the province of Isabela is now implementing a ”priority health program” which shall necessitate the closure and merger of ten (10) existing small provincial hospitals in order “to maintain and modernize hospitals in the four (4) congressional districts of Isabela”; W HEREAS included in such “priority health program” are the following hospitals, all located in the far-flung reaches of Isabela and providing thousands of impoverished residents basic medical services and emergency treatment:
1. E. Masigan Municipal Hospital, Sta. Maria: services 20 barrios, to be merged with Cabagan which requires a banca-ride of more than an hour across a river; 2. San Antonio Municipal Hospital, Ilagan: services 20 barrios in Ilagan East, to be merged with the provincial hospital located 15 kilometers away, transportation is difficult;
3. San Mariano Medicare and Community Hospital: services over 36 barrios, to be merged with the provincial hospital located 35 kilometers away, over an hour travel;
4. Jones Medicare and Community Hospital: services 42 barrios, to be merged with Echague located 20 kilometers away, over an hour travel;
5. San Guillermo Emergency Hospital: services 26 barrios, to be merged with Echague located 20 kilometers away, poor roads and transportation; 6. Quezon Emergency Hospital: services over 16 barrios, to be merged with Roxas located 23 kilometers away, over an hour travel; 7. Quirino Medicare and Community Hospital: services over 15 barrios, to be merged with Roxas located 15 kilometers away, almost an hour travel; 8. Dinapigue Emergency Hospital: services 18 barrios of the coastal towns of Dinapigue and Divilacan, both very isolated, to be merged with Palanan, over 1½ hour travel by banca; 9. Faustino Dy Emergency Hospital: services over 25 barrios in the forest region of Cauayan, to be merged with the Cauayan District Hospital located 20 kilometers away, 1½ hour travel, outbound transportation is rare; 10. Tumauini District Hospital: services 46 barrios, to be merged with Cabagan located 15 kilometers away, almost one hour travel; W HEREAS the program to merge these ten small hospitals and concentrate on the modernization or specialization of hospitals in four major towns of the province would lead to the eventual closure of all ten hospitals; W HEREAS the closure of these ten hospitals would adversely affect thousands of residents, mostly poor peasants, of more than 264 barrios in the rural areas of Isabela, depriving them of much needed basic health services and emergency medical treatment which could only result to worsening health problems in the countryside; W HEREAS upon implementation of the province’s said “priority health program,” thousands of public health workers would be displaced or dislocated; W HEREAS the Office of the Provincial Governor, Faustino S. Dy Jr., has issued Memorandum Order No. 6, Series of 2002, on March 21, 2002 instructing the Provincial Health Officer and Chief of Hospital to “prepare a tentative plan” on the relocation of affected employees; W HEREAS the said “priority health program” of the province of Isabela is not merely a local administrative policy but a direct effect of the devolution program and privatization of the national health system of the country; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, to direct the Committee on Health to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the reported impending merger of ten public hospitals in the province of Isabela which would require their outright closure to the detriment of poor residents of more than 264 barrios located in far-flung areas of the province. Adopted, 7 May 2002. SATUR C. OCAMPO B. BELTRAN Bayan Muna–Party- List
LIZA L. MAZA Bayan Muna–Party-List
CRISPIN Bayan
Muna–Party- List
REYNALDO S. UY W estern Samar, 1D
NERISSA SOON-RUIZ M.D. Cebu, 6D
LYNNETTE A. PUNZALAN Quezon, 2D
TED FAILON Leyte, 1D